Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School is a smaller-than-average Catholic primary in Blackburn with a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEN support. The school is located in an area of high deprivation. Safeguarding standards are met. Inspectors found most areas of the school’s work to be at least strong standard, including attendance and behaviour, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Achievement and curriculum and teaching are graded at the expected standard. Strengths include a nurturing and welcoming ethos, excellent pupil behaviour, strong attendance work, highly effective early years provision, and a strong culture of inclusion that supports pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils well. Leaders and governors are ambitious and have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities. Pupils feel safe, are proud of their school, and benefit from a wide range of enrichment and pastoral support. The main areas for improvement are in the consistency and quality of teaching and writing. Teaching approaches vary across some classes, meaning a few pupils do not deepen their learning as intended. Older pupils’ written work is sometimes variable, and pupils do not consistently get opportunities to practise and apply writing across the wider curriculum, which limits their independence and confidence as writers. Persistent absence, while improving, remains above the national average.

Strengths

• Pupils are polite, kind and respectful, with excellent behaviour and positive attitudes to learning.
• Leaders are tenacious in improving attendance and reducing barriers for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• The early years curriculum is highly effective, with a strong focus on communication, physical development and early reading, writing and mathematics.
• The school has a strong culture of inclusion, with tailored support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with a clear vision, rigorous oversight and careful use of additional funding.
• Personal development and wellbeing are prioritised, with a comprehensive programme, effective pastoral support and wide-ranging enrichment.
• Pupils have a mature understanding of British values and respect diversity.
• Most pupils make secure progress from their starting points and leave well prepared for the next stage of education.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching approaches are not consistently applied across all classes, so some pupils do not deepen their learning as intended.
• Older pupils’ written work is variable in quality.
• Opportunities to practise and apply writing across the wider curriculum are not developed consistently, limiting pupils’ independence and confidence as writers.
• Persistent absence remains above the national average, despite recent improvements.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 4.5% of pupils at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 33.3% of pupils at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn received £7,953 and spent £8,037 for each of its 180 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £96,000 (£535 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Blackburn · Blackburn with Darwen local authority: places and applications

What is Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn last inspected by Ofsted?

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn have?

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn has 180 pupils on roll.

What age range does Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn cover?

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn?

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn is at Holmbrook Close, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 3UG.